


45 Minutes

by exovelvetwriters



Category: EXO (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, EXOVelvet, F/M, Slice of Life
Language: Filipino
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28852839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exovelvetwriters/pseuds/exovelvetwriters
Summary: It takes Seulgi 45 minutes to prepare for the day. One day, a bathroom bulb starts to flicker.Genre: Slice of Life, Prompt: Luminescence
Relationships: Kang Seulgi & Park Chanyeol, Kang Seulgi/Park Chanyeol
Kudos: 2
Collections: EXOVelvetWritersFest 2.0





	45 Minutes

_Content Warning: Depictions of depression_

* * *

Her body feels heavy the moment she wakes up, as if a weight held her down as she slept through the night. Seulgi immediately opens her eyes and basks in the darkness before reaching for her phone to check the time. The light blinds her a bit, her eyes squint on reflex. She wakes up earlier than her alarm like always. The door opening jolts her awake as light peers into the room and hits her face.

"Gising ka na?" The man at the door asks her. She squints even more to see who it is and sees that the person is Chanyeol. She makes a sound to tell him yes.

"Anong gusto mong breakfast today?" he asks again.

"Ikaw na bahala," she answers, her voice cracking. The man nods and shuts the door after him.

The bed creaks as she struggles to sit up. Her feet land on the cold tiled floor, making her toes curl at the sudden sensation. She lifts her arms up and half-heartedly attempts to stretch. With a squint and a heavy sigh, she stands and walks out the room towards the bathroom.

Without looking, her hand immediately lands on the light switch and flicks it on. A buzzing sound surrounds the room as light fills their quaint bathroom that the cockroaches start to hide to the dark corners of the room. Seulgi waddles to the toilet to pee, not even looking at her reflection at the water-stained mirror. She doesn't need to, she thinks. 

The lightbulb flickers once. Seulgi looks up to check if it is just her eyes, but the lightbulb blinks again.

"Hmm, mapupundi na ito," she murmurs, reminding herself.

She takes her time in the bathroom, scrolling through her phone, staring at unread messages she probably wouldn't reply to unless she really needs to talk to that person. She tries hard to avoid Instagram, where people share their latest escapades or how they are coping during the current times. They are in a pandemic, for God's sake.

Nevertheless, she fails her own challenge and soon finds herself scrolling endlessly through dozens of photos of people in beaches, in yoga mats, of their home-cooked meals. 

"Seul?" She hears a set of knocks against the bathroom door.

"Oh?" Seulgi shouts back. Her voice echoes.

"Padeliver na lang ako ng McDo for breakfast. Anong gusto mo?" he asks her.

It takes her long to decide. "Hmm… Cheesy eggdesal lang."

"Ayun lang?"

"Yes, please. Thank you." Afterwards, she could hear his heavy footsteps going away and turns back to her phone.

She scoffs at another pandemic wedding when the light flickers once more. At the same time, a notification pops up. 

_ You have memories to look back on today. _

Clicking on it, her eyes quiver as she waits for it to load up. Soon, images of her in her office show up. Stacks of manuscript fill up her small desk that she had to stretch her neck so she could peek out. The same amount of paper stacks now crowd their living room, sharing the space with two makeshift work desks.

Seulgi lets out a bittersweet smile as she scrolls further down.

Images of her cats, Lulu and Lala, show up next. They look so tiny in the photos. Seulgi looks at the timestamp and sees it is dated two years ago. No wonder even she looks like a baby in the pictures.

The light blinks twice this time, and the buzzing has grown a bit louder than before. Seulgi's eyes land on a photo of them in helmets and mountain bikes with wide grins and holding hands. Three years ago. Has it really been that long? She asks herself. They certainly looked thinner in the photos, a bit frail, to be exact. They had the "just got out of college" glow. 

She checks the album and sees more pictures of them. Right, they used to upload every milestone online. These days, it is hard to achieve a milestone, leaving the album un-updated for months.

Well, each day of surviving the pandemic is a milestone, but they don't want to burden Mark Zuckerberg and their friends with everyday selfies.

Seulgi ponders whether to take a shower or continue browsing her phone. In the end, she looks up at the bulb and glances upon a moth bumping into the light–its wings fluttering rapidly. She becomes enthralled at how it keeps repeating the same mistake.

But is it a mistake for the moth? She thinks to herself. Maybe it is the moth's intention to bump into the bulb? Must be hard for the bulb though. It's losing its power, and yet something keeps crashing into it.

The light wavers a bit longer than usual, and now the moth is gone. Seulgi jumps at the sudden knocks at the door.

"Seul? Nakatulog ka ba ulit sa banyo?" he asks. "Seul?" He knocks again when she doesn't answer.

"Gising ako," she says before standing up. She places her phone at a dry spot and prepares to shower.

"Okay, malapit na breakfast," he tells her. She hears him walk away as she turns the shower on.

The cold water makes her shiver and her lips begin to tremble. Yet, she stands still under the stream and lets the water run across her body as her eyes shut tight.

And then she lets it out.

Tears cascade on her cheek, warming up the path it flows on. Soon, she couldn't feel the cold anymore. Everything is warm. Still, she kept trembling. 

Her hands cover her mouth, attempting to stifle her cries. Even her toes curl, trying to grasp control at something. She isn't sure what she is halting, but she wants whatever it is to stop.

It takes her a few minutes to calm down. As soon as she opens her eyes, the light flickers again. Three times. She grabs the shampoo and soap, and hurriedly scrubs down. She pats herself dry, wears fresh clothes, and bundles up her wet hair into the towel.

She looks up at the bathroom light for the last time. The moth is back, but it still keeps on flickering. She reminds herself to have it changed before stepping out.

She sees Chanyeol at their dining area, taking out their food from paper bags. The television in their living room is turned on, the morning news playing in the background like a worn out playlist that keeps on playing the same tunes. A murder case, a corruption scandal, the pandemic–nothing seems to be different these days.

He carefully places the utensils on her seat. She cautiously sits down, sniffing silently so he doesn't notice. He has his own problems, too.

Though, he does. The moment he looks at her, his face starts to feign concern. Still, he keeps quiet about it, and she silently thanks him for that. Everytime.

"Kain na," he says before jogging to her back to give her a quick kiss on the side of her head. "Nag-order na rin akong pancake kasi minsan favorite mo iyan."

"Yup, thanks. Buti na lang, kasi ngayon lang ako nag-crave for it," she tells him. He gives her a smile and a thumbs up.

"Sayang, akala ko pa naman makaka-dalawang serving ako ng pancake," he jokes.

She chuckles. "Grabe ginamit mo lang ako as excuse?"

"Busted," he sighs before laughing at his skit.

"By the way, malapit na mapundi yung ilaw sa banyo," Seulgi says.

"Hmm, palitan ko na lang kapag napundi na talaga," he replies. 

Seulgi shakes her head. "Palitan na natin. Nahihirapan na yung bumbilya, saka baka mapundi kapag gabi na. Mahirap na."

Chanyeol nods. They eat in silence afterwards as they continue to prepare for the day.

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comments for our author! <3 You could also leave a like and share with your friends on Twitter! Just look for our festival thread on @exovelvetwrtrs.


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